Independent Asian Credit Research, Bondcritic

Warut Promboon

Independent Asian Credit Research

Asian Fixed Income/Frontier Market Research

Bondcritic

Bondcritic, established in 2009, is designed to be an independent credit research voice that helps investors gain insights and unbiased analyses on Asian fixed income market. Our mission is to discover deep-value Asian high-yield and distressed bonds with a bottom-up approach, together with the help of our proprietary ESG (Environmental, Social Development, and Governance) model. At the same time, we focus on bringing investment cases of unrated and unloved issuers to the general public.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>BOT’s pledge to issue virtual banking guidelines in June this year leads us to believe Thailand is finally ready to join the virtual banking era.  https://www.bot.or.th/landscape/files/consultation-paper-en.pdf</li>
<li>E-Commerce payments, remittances, and digital lending; all of which will facilitate the growth of tokenization in Thailand.</li>
<li>In this report, we look into Thailand’s virtual banking landscape.</li>
</ul>


BOT’s pledge to issue virtual banking guidelines in June this year leads us to believe Thailand is finally ready to join the virtual banking era.  https://www.bot.or.th/landscape/files/consultation-paper-en.pdf
E-Commerce payments, remittances, and digital lending; all of which will facilitate the growth of tokenization in Thailand.
In this report, we look into Thailand’s virtual banking landscape.


Virtual Banking: Thailand Is Finally Ready

Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning, Copley Fund Research

Steven Holden

Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning

Copley Fund Research

Copley Fund Research provide research and data on asset allocation among Global and Emerging Market equity funds.  The analysis details absolute and relative positioning across countries, sectors and industries together with highly granular data on single stock and single fund allocations.  The data is updated monthly with time series going back to January 2011.

Global Research - Analysis of 165 prominent Global equity funds, combined AUM $335bn
GEM Research - Analysis of 127 prominent global EM equity funds, combined AUM $250bn

Asset Allocation - Global and GEM Equity

<ul>
<li>Financials sector allocations continue to move higher.  Average holding weights stand at 18.78%, the highest level since early 2020 and well up from the lows of 15.06% in Sep 2020</li>
<li>Indonesia, Singapore, India and Thailand were responsible for the moves higher, with China &amp; HK not participating in the upturn. </li>
<li>AIA Group Ltd is the most widely held stock.  China Merchants Bank and Bank Central Asia the key overweights. China Construction Bank and ICBC are largely avoided by Asian investors.</li>
</ul>


Financials sector allocations continue to move higher.  Average holding weights stand at 18.78%, the highest level since early 2020 and well up from the lows of 15.06% in Sep 2020
Indonesia, Singapore, India and Thailand were responsible for the moves higher, with China &amp; HK not participating in the upturn. 
AIA Group Ltd is the most widely held stock.  China Merchants Bank and Bank Central Asia the key overweights. China Construction Bank and ICBC are largely avoided by Asian investors.


Asia Ex-Japan:  Financials Recovery Leaves China Behind

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>With many cash grain/agri prices touching record highs amid war in Ukraine, boasting an upstream supply is not a bad thing. Yet <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/olam-international-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:765:1" rel="noopener">Olam (OLAM SP)</a> is a tricky beast to analyze.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bank-of-kyoto" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5248:1" rel="noopener">Bank of Kyoto (8369 JP)</a> would be a screaming buy vs its basket a bit lower. As it is, it's the same level after the bank changed its payout ratio. </li>
<li>The duo of Brookfield and Atlassian/Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has lobbed a higher offer for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/agl-energy-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:554:1" rel="noopener">AGL Energy Ltd (AGL AU)</a> and AGL has rejected it.</li>
</ul>


With many cash grain/agri prices touching record highs amid war in Ukraine, boasting an upstream supply is not a bad thing. Yet Olam (OLAM SP) is a tricky beast to analyze.

Bank of Kyoto (8369 JP) would be a screaming buy vs its basket a bit lower. As it is, it's the same level after the bank changed its payout ratio. 
The duo of Brookfield and Atlassian/Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has lobbed a higher offer for AGL Energy Ltd (AGL AU) and AGL has rejected it.


Last Week in Event SPACE: Olam, Bank of Kyoto, AGL Energy, Jardine Matheson, Toshiba

ASEAN Insight Provider, CrossASEAN Research

Angus Mackintosh

ASEAN Insight Provider

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>The Week That Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with an eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive, and actionable insights, macro and equity bottom-up, from across South East Asia.</li>
<li>The past week saw insights on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sea-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8509:1" rel="noopener">Sea Ltd (SE US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/grab-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26950:1" rel="noopener">Grab (GRAB US)</a> post results along with an interesting trade idea on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bangkok-bank-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:213:1" rel="noopener">Bangkok Bank Public (BBL TB)</a>.</li>
<li>We also had two insights on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/farm-fresh-berhad" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:34617:1" rel="noopener">Farm Fresh Berhad (FF MY)</a> IPO, commentary on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/singapore-press-holdings-limited" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:9952:1" rel="noopener">Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP)</a> plans to delist plus some other new-economy developments.</li>
</ul>


The Week That Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with an eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive, and actionable insights, macro and equity bottom-up, from across South East Asia.
The past week saw insights on Sea Ltd (SE US) and Grab (GRAB US) post results along with an interesting trade idea on Bangkok Bank Public (BBL TB).
We also had two insights on Farm Fresh Berhad (FF MY) IPO, commentary on Singapore Press Holdings (SPH SP) plans to delist plus some other new-economy developments.


The Week That Was in ASEAN @Smartkarma - Rough for Sea Ltd, Grab's Tumble, and Farm Fresh IPO

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bangkok-bank-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:213:1" rel="noopener">Bangkok Bank Public</a> has underperformed <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kasikornbank-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:293:1" rel="noopener">Kasikornbank PCL</a> over the short-term and over the last year as well. The price ratio is now trading at the low end of the recent range.</li>
<li>The number of NVDRs issued on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bangkok-bank-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:213:1" rel="noopener">Bangkok Bank Public (BBL TB)</a> have continued to decrease while increasing on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kasikornbank-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:293:1" rel="noopener">Kasikornbank PCL (KBANK TB)</a>. </li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bangkok-bank-public-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:213:1" rel="noopener">Bangkok Bank Public (BBL TB)</a> trades cheaper than <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kasikornbank-pcl" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:293:1" rel="noopener">Kasikornbank PCL (KBANK TB)</a> and there could outperform in the short-term.</li>
</ul>



Bangkok Bank Public has underperformed Kasikornbank PCL over the short-term and over the last year as well. The price ratio is now trading at the low end of the recent range.
The number of NVDRs issued on Bangkok Bank Public (BBL TB) have continued to decrease while increasing on Kasikornbank PCL (KBANK TB). 

Bangkok Bank Public (BBL TB) trades cheaper than Kasikornbank PCL (KBANK TB) and there could outperform in the short-term.


Thailand

Kasikornbank Public Company Limited provides commercial banking services including personal and commercial banking, international trade, as well as investment banking services, to its customers throughout Thailand.  The Bank has foreign branches in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, and Shenzhen; and representative offices in Shanghai, Beijing, and Kunmin.

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Kasikornbank (KBANK-R TB)

Virtual Banking: Thailand Is Finally Ready

To get ready for Thailand's virtual banking license this year, we look into Thailand’s digital wallet landscape, microfinancing, and debt...

Bondcritic

Asia Ex-Japan: Financials Recovery Leaves China Behind

Financials exposure moves higher. Active weights hit their highest level since early 2020. Indonesia, Singapore and India Financials were the...

Steven Holden

Last Week in Event SPACE: Olam, Bank of Kyoto, AGL Energy, Jardine Matheson, Toshiba

The weekend is here! Pour yourself a coffee, grab a comfortable seat, and sift through a brief summary of insights on various events discussed...

David Blennerhassett

The Week That Was in ASEAN @Smartkarma - Rough for Sea Ltd, Grab's Tumble, and Farm Fresh IPO

The Week That Was in ASEAN@Smartkarma is filled with an eclectic mix of differentiated, substantive, and actionable insights, macro and equity...

Angus Mackintosh

BBL/KBANK: Time for a Bounce

BBL TB has underperformed KBANK TB and the price ratio is currently trading at the lower end of the recent range. There could be a short-term...

Brian Freitas

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